WHAT IS LIFE ABOUT? THE LIFE BOOK. twitter.com/thelifebook facebook.com/thelifebookmovement

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2 A GIFT FOR YOU

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4 WHAT IS LIFE ABOUT? THE LIFE BOOK twitter.com/thelifebook facebook.com/thelifebookmovement

5 The Life Book Copyright 2009 by The Life Book Movement For more information on The Life Book Movement please go to: The Life Book Movement exists to put God s Word in the hands and hearts of every high school student. About This Bible This edition of The Holy Bible is distributed free of charge throughout the world by The Gideons International. For more information about the ministry of The Gideons, please contact: The Gideons International, Post Office Box , Nashville, TN USA, or visit The Gideons website at: Copyright Information The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ) is copyright Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, 1300 Crescent Street, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, USA. The ESV Bible text may be quoted (in written, visual, or electronic form) up to and inclusive of one thousand (1,000) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided that the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for 50% or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted. When quoting from the ESV in written, visual, and electronic form, the letters ESV must be included as part of the Scripture reference given with the quote. ESV and English Standard Version are registered trademarks of Crossway. The use of either trademark requires the permission of Crossway. The ESV Bible translation carries forward the historic stream of Bible translation in English exemplified especially by the King James Version (KJV) Bible of 1611 and subsequent essentially literal Bible translations. At the request of The Gideons and in appreciation for their worldwide, century-plus distribution of more than 1.8 billion Bibles Crossway is pleased to license the ESV Bible text to The Gideons, and to grant permission to The Gideons to include certain alternative readings based on the Textus Receptus, for exclusive free distribution of a Gideons edition, as follows: Bible translations of the New Testament into English and other languages are almost exclusively based on either (a) the Greek Textus Receptus manuscript tradition (which was the basis for the 1611 translation of the KJV Bible), or (b) the Greek NA-UBS manuscript corpus (which is the basis for almost all Bible translations completed since the late 1800s). In some places in the New Testament of the ESV Gideons edition, as printed and distributed exclusively under license to The Gideons International, the Gideons edition follows the Textus Receptus manuscript tradition, which corresponds in the vast majority of instances to the corpus of New Testament Greek manuscripts known among scholars today as the Majority Text. Regarding the Old Testament, the primary textual basis for translation of the ESV Old Testament is the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible as found in the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (2nd ed. 1983); regarding the ESV New Testament, the primary textual basis for translation of the ESV New Testament is the Greek text of the 1993 editions of the Greek New Testament (4th corrected ed.), published by the United Bible Societies (UBS), and Novum Testamentum Graece (27th ed.), edited by Nestle and Aland. The ESV Bible is based on the original Greek and Hebrew sources noted above, as adapted from the English Revised Standard Version, copyright division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. Crossway is a not-for-profit publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, and is the sole copyright holder of the ESV (English Standard Version) Bible. Crossway exists solely for the purpose of publishing the Gospel and the Truth of God s Word, the Bible. Crossway donates a portion of the purchase of every Bible sold to help support Bible distribution and Bible teaching ministries around the world. Crossway can be found online at the online ESV Bible can be found at Eleventh Printing. Funded By

6 WHAT IS THE LIFE BOOK? PART 1 Part 1 is God s story before Jesus shows up on the scene. It s a quick re-telling of the first part of the Bible before Jesus arrives. It explains how things were great, then went bad and why Jesus has to come make things right. PART 2 Part 2 is straight from the Bible. It s the story of Jesus while He was on Earth. He does some amazing stuff. WHAT ABOUT YOU? This part is about what God s story means for your life. What does Jesus have to do with you? What is your role in the world God created? What does God want from you? HELP! This part gives some help and answers for things you or your friends might be struggling with. The Bible is full of good answers and guidance for tough stuff in life. It s God s advice, so it has to be pretty good. The Life Book 5

7 STUDENT NOTES Four students make notes and ask questions all through The Life Book. (Free Clue: You can tell each student apart by their handwriting.) DYLAN I m I. Not really into spiritual stuff, but open-minded. Love gaming and science fiction. When I graduate, I want to design the first mass produced flying car. I hate it when people are fake. I love asking questions and trying to figure things out. My dog s name is Buster. I spend most of my time hanging with Jake Foster doing stupid stuff. TAYLOR (TAY) 15 yrs old. I m just a girl who loves God and hope you do too! I Want to help others learn more about Jesus. Maybe be a missionary or something like that, so I can tell others how much God loves them. I hope my notes help you. I love helping people and hate it when people are mean. I play guitar, piano and sing but I m not sure if I m any good. PEDRO (A.K.A. PB) Freshman this year. Friends call me PB because I put peanut butter on everything. Love sports and am pretty good at them. Hope to play professional football when I get older. Still trying to figure out God and stuff. My girlfriend tells me about Him. Moved to a new school this year. Hope to start at quarterback. I hate sitting on the bench. I don t get people who don t like sports. Spend a lot of time with my girlfriend. I pretty much hate homework. 4 The Life Book...Got Questions? Ask the person who gave you The Life Book

8 VANESSA Just turned 16. Love guys. Wish life wasn t so messed up. I want to be a singer someday. Go to church every week, but its not a big deal, just something mom and I do together. Kinda interested in what God is all about. Hate it when people talk about me behind my back. Love knowing all the gossip. Dream a lot. Just waiting for the man of my dreams to become real. ADULT NOTES UNCLE G. (A.K.A. GIDEON WILLIAMS) I m the old guy, but I love God and love teens. Those who know me call me Uncle G. I grew up in the hood as they call it. Thanks to my mom I made it through. And thanks to my grandma, I became a follower of Jesus. I m just here to put in my two cents. I still don t understand everything about God and the Bible, but I hope I can help a little bit. They say my gray hair gives me wisdom. I don t know about that, but do know that I ve tried to learn as much as I can through the years. So, I hope I can help you get to know God and Jesus better. The Life Book 5

9 PART 1 THE STORY OF GOD AND PEOPLE (quick retelling of the first part of the Bible) 6 The Life Book...Got Questions? Ask the person who gave you The Life Book

10 GOD MAKES IT ALL (read more in Genesis, the first book in the Bible) Before time began (as we know it), God existed. That seems tough to understand, but God was and is and will always be. I guess when you are God, you don t have to explain it all. I want that kind of power -D As God, He didn t need to make anything, but He decided to make the universe and put people on earth. He spoke and everything was created. No magic, no illusions, just a word followed by a world. IT S ALL GOOD (read more in Genesis Chapter 2) In the Bible, God says that everything He made was good. From massive galaxies soaked with shiny stars to tiny molecules packed with DNA, it was all good. As part of creating our world, God made a man named Adam and a woman named Eve. What is really cool is that the Bible says God made them in His image. We don t know exactly what God looks like because the Bible says He is a spirit, but we do know that He made humans in His likeness. God has the power to create and He made us creative too. Being made in His image, we also have the power to love and reason, dream and desire. I really wish everything was still ALL good. Things are pretty messed up. -V It s pretty cool when you think about it. We may not be all-wise, all-powerful, and perfect in every way, but God did make us like Him in some ways. God is not just some uncaring ruler who runs things from a distance, blessing and punishing people. He actually cares about the people He made. Cool thought. -PB The Life Book 7

11 Can t imagine -PB In the Garden of Eden where God placed Adam and Eve, there was no death or suffering, no sin or sadness. Complete trust of each other and God brought pure joy to every moment. God gave them everything they needed and it was a perfect relationship. They were free to do anything except eat the fruit from one special tree. Totally hate snakes! - Tay Really? One bite and the whole human race has to pay? -D EVIL VILLAIN SHOWS UP (read more in Genesis Chapter 3) Snakes can t be trusted. Satan (an angel who was kicked out of heaven when he tried to take over) basically told Adam and Eve that God was lying to them and that they shouldn t trust Him. Satan told them that God didn t want them eating from the special tree because He was just trying to keep them from becoming like Him. He also told them God was bluffing on the punishment, which was death. Adam and Eve thought it over, trashed their trust of God, chose to trust the snake Satan and took a bite that would change the world. In that one bite, trust was shattered, and the relationship between God and Adam and Eve was broken. As a result, evil (sin) entered into the perfect world. THE CURSE I know what it s like to make bad choices when it comes to trust. -V A curse fell on Adam and Eve as well as all who would come after them. Now the perfect world would be messy and full of struggle, pain, suffering and shame. Because of their sin, death entered the world. Plants, animals, Adam and Eve, 8 The Life Book...Got Questions? Ask the person who gave you The Life Book

12 and all their offspring would live for a while and then die. There was no longer the possibility of a close relationship with God. He had to kick them out of the perfect Garden of Eden, and He would no longer walk with them, talk with them, or be close with them as He had before. Sin was now between them. MURDER Just never thought of my sin and stuff as a big deal. -PB The curse of sin and evil in the world showed its ugly head when Adam and Eve s son Cain killed his brother Abel. For many, many years, evil ruled on the earth until God decided it was time to start over. DO-OVER God found one man who was living right and chose him to start everything all over. He asked Noah to build a huge boat that would survive a world-wide flood. In this huge boat, Noah took his family and a pair of each animal so they could repopulate the earth. Glad I wasn t Noah. Build a boat in the desert? No way. -V The flood came and the world was wiped out, except for the people and the animals on the huge boat. They started over. STARTING AGAIN Because the flood did not break the curse, sin and rebellion against God s ways started all over again. God started a new nation by making a huge promise to The Life Book 9

13 I saw the Joseph musical on Broadway with my aunt. Didn t he have a colored coat or something like that? - V His chosen leader named Abraham. He told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. Oh, by the way, Abraham and his wife Sarah were really old when God made this promise. Eventually Isaac (Abraham and Sarah s son) was born and became a leader of God s people. Isaac had a son named Jacob (who was quite a schemer). Jacob moved his family to Egypt to escape a famine and to be with his son named Joseph, who stayed faithful to God even though he went through a bunch of bad stuff like slavery and prison. God used Joseph to save His family. SLAVERY - D For about 400 years, God s people lived as slaves in Egypt. Until... God lit up a bush in the desert. God signed up Moses as the next leader by speaking to him through a burning bush (the bush was on fire, but not burning up) in the desert. Plague = bad stuff! Water turning to blood, frogs everywhere, disease, locusts, darkness, etc. Bad stuff! - Tay Moses asked Pharaoh to set God s people free from slavery. Pharaoh refused and God sent a nasty plague. Moses kept asking Pharaoh kept refusing God kept sending plagues on Egypt. You d think Pharaoh would get the message. One final request, one final denial and then God sent the worst plague of all. PASSING OVER I remember this part of the Bible. Sarah laughed when Abraham told her. - Tay Science check. Okay, how does that happen? On fire, but not burning? I guess if you believe God made everything, then He can mess with scientific laws whenever he wants. Glad he wasn t leading my country. - PB Before God sent the last plague (death of the firstborn from every family), He gave Moses some specific directions to save the lives of His people. (God seems 10 The Life Book...Got Questions? Ask the person who gave you The Life Book

14 to always provide a way to be saved from terrible consequences.) God told Moses to have each family kill a lamb and smear the lamb s blood over the top of the door to their house. True! - Tay When the plague came, all of God s people were saved but the firstborn of each Egyptian family died. Pharaoh gave in and decided to set God s people free. That s really sad. Seems unfair for the Egyptians to die just because Pharaoh was a jerk. - V They took off only to have Pharaoh change his mind and follow them. With the Red Sea in front of them and Pharaoh s army behind them, God miraculously parted the sea. God s people crossed over, the sea moved back into place and they finally tasted freedom. 10 LAWS And Pharaoh s army drowned - saw part of the movie. - PB Free from slavery, God gave Moses 10 laws that would help His people live in such a way that God would be honored and their society would work. The laws were not given to punish them, but every law had a good purpose to help God s people live together well and have a relationship with God. Never thought about God s laws like that. - V Some of the laws were about not worshipping idols, not stealing, lying, and stuff like that. I think maybe we still turn to idols. Forgive me. - Tay Instead of following the ten commandments, many of God s people turned to idols and other gods. Because the curse was still in effect, people also ignored The Life Book 11

15 some of the other laws. God s laws didn t break the curse, but when people broke His laws, it was just more evidence that the curse was real and it was strong. BLOOD PAYMENT Unfortunately, the laws were broken often. So God gave His people a plan to pay for their law breaking. Because blood is the source of life for all, God s plan for payment involved the spilling of blood (kind of like when He protected His people from the final plague in Egypt). Kind of weird to think that blood somehow made up for sin. I guess it makes more sense of Jesus being killed. - PB Animals were to be sacrificed as payment for sin and wrong doing. The curse could not be broken by these sacrifices, but the blood of an animal would provide temporary cover from God s punishment of their sin. I know it sounds strange, but I sometimes feel the pull of this curse. - V The curse still reigned in the world the curse that entered the world because of Adam and Eve s decision to choose to trust Satan instead of God still reigned in the world. THE PROMISE Through His people, God began to share the promise of one who would come and break the curse once and for all. A Messiah, a leader, a Savior was coming who would fix the relationship between humans and God. This Savior would not only show us a new way to live, but He would also be the final sacrifice his blood paying the penalty for all sin. 12 The Life Book...Got Questions? Ask the person who gave you The Life Book

16 Remember: sin equals death and the Bible refers to death as hell (being punished forever). Someone would have to pay for our sin. Without a Savior, the result of our sin is eternal punishment. You might say we were on a highway to hell. The promised Savior would provide us a way to avoid being punished forever. The blood of animals covered sin before Jesus showed up, but the only way to finally break the curse once and for all was to have a perfect sacrifice. According to those who told about His coming, the promised Savior would live a life without any sin. He would be absolutely perfect. But in a strange twist of events, He would offer His innocent life and pure blood as a final sacrifice by allowing people to kill Him. His blood would pay the penalty for all sin. THE HOPE When the Savior comes, all who chose to believe (trust) that His final sacrifice really did break the curse, would have the curse broken in their own life. They would be made right with God and all of their sin would be forgiven. They would become followers of this Savior, living like He lived and helping others come to trust in His ways. JESUS CHRIST SHOWS UP * Amazing when I think about it. Thank You Jesus for breaking the curse. - Tay So that s why Jesus died? I had no idea -D Part 2 is all about the promised one, Jesus Christ, showing up. Jesus comes as the eternal Son of God in human form to forever break the curse. He was fully * * Oh, so he took our place? - PB Yes! -Uncle G See my note on the next page. The Life Book 13

17 divine and fully human. His own people (God s chosen people) rejected Him, yet He lived a pure life without sin, and because of this, he became the perfect sacrifice. He took our place, spilling His own blood as the final sacrifice to break the curse. Miraculously proving He was God s eternal son, God raised Him from the dead. Here is the true story of Jesus that forever changed the world and just maybe your life The Life Book...Got Questions? Ask the person who gave you The Life Book

18 * That s what it was like for me. I was sixteen and headed the wrong way when some older guy gave me a little green Bible in the detention center. I read it because I didn t have anything else to do and he seemed different, like he actually cared about me. I didn t understand a lot of what the Bible said, but I did realize that I was messed up and needed a new start. There was a section in the back that talked about being forgiven and following Jesus. I prayed the prayer they had in there and my life began to change. Not sure what happened except that God got hold of me and started making changes. I wish I could find the guy who gave me that Bible and thank him. Because of him my sins are forgiven, I am living the life God wants for me and I am going to heaven when I die. - Uncle G. The Life Book 15

19 PART 2 THE STORY OF JESUS COMING TO EARTH (The REAL Bible as God gave it to us) 16 The Life Book...Got Questions? Ask the person who gave you The Life Book

20 BOOK OF JOHN (straight from the Bible) Not trying to seem like I know everything, but I learned that the WORD is Jesus. - Tay In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, This was he of whom I said, He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me. ) And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Rejected by his own people? Harsh! - PB Pretty cool that Jesus leaves heaven for earth. - V The Life Book 17

21 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father s side, he has made him known. The Testimony of John the Baptist And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who are you? He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Are you Elijah? He said, I am not. Are you the Prophet? And he answered, No. So they said to him, Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself? Man, they are drilling the guy. - D Felt like that before, except no one was listening. - Tay He said, I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said. (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet? Not sure I get the whole baptism thing. - PB John answered them, I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie. 28These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. When I was just a boy, momma would give me a bath every night because I would get all dirty playing in the abandoned lot next to where we lived. Every night she would tell me about how water makes us new and fresh again. No matter how dirty I got, she always made me clean. So baptism reminds me of that. - Uncle G. 18 The Life Book...Got Questions? Ask the person who gave you The Life Book * *

22 The Lamb of God The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me. I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel. That would be cool to see. People probably freaked. - V And John bore witness: I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God. Jesus Calls the First Disciples The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, Behold, the Lamb of God! The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, What are you seeking? And they said to him, Rabbi (which means Teacher), where are you staying? He said to them, Come and you will see. So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. Jesus loves to ask lots of????s. - Tay One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, We have found the Messiah (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas (which means Peter). Wonder what name Jesus would give me? - V The Life Book 19

23 Are you stalking me? LOL - D Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, Follow me. Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Nathanael said to him, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit! Nathanael said to him, How do you know me? Jesus answered him, Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. Nathanael answered him, Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel! Jesus answered him, Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these. And he said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. CHAPTER 2 Turning Water into Wine On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, They have no wine. And Jesus said to her, Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come. His mother said to the servants, Do whatever he tells you. Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, Fill the jars with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, Now 20 The Life Book...Got Questions? Ask the person who gave you The Life Book

24 draw some out and take it to the master of the feast. So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now. This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days. Okay, let me get this straight: 1. Jesus is at a party 2. He is making wine. Hmmm totally different than the Jesus I ve Jesus Cleanses the Temple heard about. The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the K. Got me thinking. temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, Take these things away; do not make my Father s house a house of trade. His disciples remembered that it was written, Zeal for your house will consume me. - PB Cool. Never knew Jesus got ticked off. So much for the meek little teacher. - D So the Jews said to him, What sign do you show us for doing these things? Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews then said, It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days? But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered Jesus seems to confuse people a lot. - V The Life Book 21

25 that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. Jesus Knows What Is in Man Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. CHAPTER 3 Wonder what it s like sneaking around at night in one of those robe things. Funny. - D Wish all my friends and family would start to believe in Jesus. - Tay You Must Be Born Again Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Jesus answered him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. I def initely want to see the kingdom of God! - Tay Nicodemus said to him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother s womb and be born? Don t even want to think about that. - V Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not marvel that I said to 22 The Life Book...Got Questions? Ask the person who gave you The Life Book

26 you, You must be born again. 8The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus said to him, How can these things be? I m with you Nic. I d be asking the same thing! - PB Jesus answered him, Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. Snakes again? - Tay For God So Loved the World For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Saw a guy at a pro football game with a big sign that said this. - PB For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. * And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. I know people like that. - V I didn t know that. Condemned already for not believing? Does that mean I m going to hell if I don t believe in Jesus? - D The Life Book 23

27 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God. * Hell? Jesus talks a whole bunch about it. Did Jesus just make it up to scare people? No, it s real. It may seem unfair to be condemned already (on a highway to hell) for not believing, but we all deserve it because we rebel against God by doing our own thing and breaking His rules. We are all born with the curse of sin. The result of that curse is hell - punishment forever. Everyone who does not believe in who Jesus is and what He has done for them will experience the lake of f ire Jesus talks about. BUT - don t forget - God provides a way to be with Him forever in heaven. Believe in Jesus just like He said. So, I guess the most loving thing I can do for you is tell you how you can avoid hell and spend forever in heaven. - Uncle G. 24 The Life Book...Got Questions? Ask the person who gave you The Life Book

28 John the Baptist Exalts Christ After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized (for John had not yet been put in prison). Now a discussion arose between some of John s disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him. John answered, A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. Prison? Must be coming up. - PB Decrease? I guess it means God gets more attention and I get less? Honestly that s a tough thing for me. I love attention. - V There it is again - don t believe = punishment. Hmmm. - D The Life Book 25

29 Living water? - V CHAPTER 4 Jesus and the Woman of Samaria Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, Give me a drink. (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria? (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus doesn t seem to care about stupid rules. I like that. - PB Jesus answered her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, Give me a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. The woman said to him, Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock. Now it makes sense. Living water means eternal life. - V Jesus said to her, Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. The woman said to him, Sir, give me this water, so that I will not 26 The Life Book...Got Questions? Ask the person who gave you The Life Book

30 be thirsty or have to come here to draw water. Jesus said to her, Go, call your husband, and come here. The woman answered him, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, You are right in saying, I have no husband ; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true. The woman said to him, Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship. Jesus said to her, Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. The woman said to him, I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things. Jesus said to her, I who speak to you am he. * * Cool to think we can worship God anywhere. - Tay Man! He knows everything about everybody. PB Big point. Jesus says He is the promised Messiah. That s a huge claim. - Uncle G. Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, What do you seek? or, Why are you talking with her? So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ? They went out of the town and were coming to him. Her story was too juicy not to share. I d tell everyone too! - V Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, Rabbi, eat. But he said to them, I have food to eat that you do not know about. So the disciples said to The Life Book 27

31 He loves to twist things.- D Still freaks me out that he knows everything about everyone. - PB one another, Has anyone brought him something to eat? Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, There are yet four months, then comes the harvest? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, One sows and another reaps. I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor. Good because I m starving. - PB Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman s testimony, He told me all that I ever did. So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world. And my savior too! - Tay After the two days he departed for Galilee. (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast. These guys party all the time! - PB Jesus Heals an Official s Son So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe. The official said to 28 The Life Book...Got Questions? Ask the person who gave you The Life Book

32 him, Sir, come down before my child dies. Jesus said to him, Go; your son will live. The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, Your son will live. And he himself believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee. CHAPTER 5 The Healing at the Pool on the Sabbath After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids blind, lame, and paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water, for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred the water: whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had. Beats going to the hospital. - V Not sure my dad would believe even if he saw Jesus heal that kid. - Tay I wonder if an angel still goes down to that pool today. - V One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, Do you want to be healed? The sick man answered him, Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me. Some days I d much rather stay home sick from school than to get better and have to go. - D The Life Book 29

33 That s the day we re supposed to rest. It s one of the 10 commandments. - Tay Pretty sure you couldn t slip away today. The news would be all over this stuff. - D Jesus said to him, Get up, take up your bed, and walk. And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. For real if I saw that happen I think I d want to follow Jesus around just to see what he was going to do next. - PB Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed. But he answered them, The man who healed me, that man said to me, Take up your bed, and walk. They asked him, Who is the man who said to you, Take up your bed and walk? Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you. The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. Seems like a stupid rule! - PB And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, My Father is working until now, and I am working. Jesus Is Equal with God This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, * but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. I could see how that would make them nervous. - D The Authority of the Son So Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that 30 The Life Book...Got Questions? Ask the person who gave you The Life Book

34 you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Can t imagine that kind of power. - PB *Growing up we used to go to my Grandma s house every Sunday afternoon. We d just sit around doing nothing but talking, except for when it was time for sweets. (Grandma made this amazing apple pie with cinnamon and homemade ice cream on top.) But my momma would always say we needed our Sabbath rest cause that s the way God made us. Keeping the Sabbath day holy is one of the 10 commandments and Jesus talks more about it. In the Bible in the book of Mark, chapter 2 verse 27 Jesus says that the Sabbath was made for man to make sure we got regular rest and a day set apart for God. Seems like the religious leaders in Jesus time took it a little too far. - Uncle G. The Life Book 31

35 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. I hear people who say they believe in Jesus live like they don t believe. Seems like believing should change everything. - Tay Scary! - V Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. Witnesses to Jesus I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not deemed true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am 32 The Life Book...Got Questions? Ask the person who gave you The Life Book

36 doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. Jesus is like, Hello, I m right here. The one you ve been waiting for. - Tay I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words? Didn t know Jesus went off on people like that. - V CHAPTER 6 Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Sounds much better than going to my boring church. - V The Life Book 33

37 Hate tests! - V Not sure I get how this happened. So, did the fish and bread just keep multiplying right in front of the people or what? Wonder what it looked like. - PB Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat? He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter s brother, said to him, There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many? Jesus said, Have the people sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Big lunch for 1 boy. - D Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost. So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world! Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew * again to the mountain by himself. * The Jewish people (God s people) thought the Messiah was going to be their king here on earth. Kind of like if we saw someone doing amazing things we might want Jesus Walks on Water When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and to make him started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet our president. come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. -Uncle G. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to them, 34 The Life Book...Got Questions? Ask the person who gave you The Life Book

38 It is I; do not be afraid. Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. I would ve been scared too! Must be cool to walk on water though. - V I Am the Bread of Life On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, Rabbi, when did you come here? Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal. How can we get in on this doing miracles thing? Could make some big bucks with that kind of power. - D Then they said to him, What must we do, to be doing the works of God? Jesus answered them, This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. I don t get these people. He just made bread and f ish appear to feed over 5,000 people and they still don t believe him? What s up with that? - Tay So they said to him, Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. You re coming for the FREE FOOD! - PB The Life Book 35